35Safe Driving
Airbags
Airbag System Components
Important Facts About Your Airbags
Airbags can pose serious hazards. To do their job, airbags must inflate with
tremendous force. So, while airbags help save lives, they can cause minor injuries,
sometimes even fatal ones if occupants are not properly wearing their seat belts
properly and sitting correctly.
What you should do: Always wear your seat belt properly, and sit upright and
as far back from the steering wheel as possible while allowing full control of the
vehicle. A front passenger should move their seat as far back from the dashboard
as possible.
Remember, however, that no safety system can prevent all injuries or deaths
that can occur in a severe crash, even when seat belts are properly worn and the
airbags deploy.
Do not place hard or sharp objects between yourself and a front airbag.
Carrying hard or sharp objects on your lap, or driving with a pipe or other sharp
object in your mouth, can result in injuries if your front airbag inflates.
Do not attach or place objects on the front airbag covers. Objects on the
covers marked ”SRS AIRBAG” could interfere with the proper operation of the
airbags or be propelled inside the vehicle and hurt someone if the airbags inflate.
Important facts about your airbags
Do not attempt to deactivate your airbags.
Together, airbags and seat belts provide the best
protection.
When driving, keep hands and arms out of the
deployment path of the front airbag by holding
each side of the steering wheel. Do not cross an
arm over the airbag cover.
Child Safety
Protecting Child Passengers
49Safe Driving
Protecting Child Passengers
To deactivate a lockable retractor, release the buckle
and allow the seat belt to wind up all the way.
To remind you of the passenger's front airbag
hazards and child safety, your vehicle has warning
labels on the dashboard (U.S. models) and on the
front visors. Please read and follow the instructions
on these labels.
Safety Labels
P. 61
Any child who is too small to wear a seat belt correctly must be restrained in an t
approved child seat that is properly secured to the vehicle using either the lap
belt portion of the lap/shoulder belt or the lower anchors of the LATCH system.
Never hold a child on your lap because it is impossible to protect them in the t
event of a collision.
Never put a seat belt over yourself and a child. During a crash, the belt would t
likely press deep into the child and cause serious or fatal injuries.
Never let two children use the same seat belt. Both children could be very t
seriously injured in a crash.
Do not allow children to operate the doors, windows or seat adjustments. t
Do not leave children in the vehicle unattended, especially in hot weather t
when the inside of the vehicle can get hot enough to kill them. They could also
activate vehicle controls causing it to move unexpectedly.
WARNING
Allowing a child to play with a seat belt or
wrap one around their neck can
result in serious injury or death.
Instruct children not to play with any seat
belt and make sure any unused
seat belt a child can reach is buckled, fully
retracted, and locked.
